Which to use
“anchor” is a noun and “anchored” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,862
- “anchor” frequency rank
- #15,746
- “anchored” frequency rank
- 22608
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anchor | anchored |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement. | Having the extremities turned back, like the flukes of an anchor. (Compare sarcelly, moline.) |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set anchor and anchored apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: anchor is anoun and anchoredanadjective. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “anchor” sits inside “anchored”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22608, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anchor is recorded at frequency rank #6,862, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈæŋ.kə/. anchored is at rank #15,746, tagged as anadj.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 22608, this pair ranks #415,340 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of anchor vs anchored
Shared letters: achnor. Private to "anchor": -. Private to "anchored": de.
"anchor" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "anchored" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "anchor" and "anchored" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "anchor" or "anchored"?
Remembering anchor vs anchored
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “anchor”; for an adjective, it's “anchored”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “anchor” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable